Swanzey man faces prison time after federal sex-offender registration plea

The charge carries a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

A Swanzey man has admitted in federal court that he failed to keep his sex-offender registration current, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday.

David MacLean, 78, entered the guilty plea in connection with a requirement tied to his 2018 conviction for possessing child sex abuse material, also known as CSAM. Federal rules require people convicted of certain offenses to register in any state where they live or work and to list user names and email addresses they use online.

According to the Justice Department, MacLean was released from prison in January 2021 and did not register as a sex offender until the following November. At that time, he reported only one online identifier, a Yahoo email address. Investigators later learned that he had also used other online accounts, including Facebook, X and Reddit, that were not included in his registration.

The inquiry also turned up evidence tied to AI-generated CSAM. MacLean told his probation officer that he had used artificial intelligence to create such material and later deleted it, the department said. Officials said he had subscribed to an AI generator website, and a Reddit app on his device contained cached CSAM video data. The release did not specify when the underlying conduct occurred.

The charge carries a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is set for December.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service as part of Project Safe Childhood, a federal effort started in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Hunter is prosecuting the case.